Serious games are thought to foster young children’s learning by making the learning experience more fun and engaging. However, a study in Computers & Education shows that success of serious gameplay highly depends on children’s ability to regulate their attention and behavior.

Executive functions such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility make it possible to control, plan, and direct processes on the level of cognition, behavior and motivation. They help to stay focused and being involved, to hold information in mind, to solve problems, and to understand other perspectives. Numerous studies have shown the crucial benefits of executive functions to outcome measures such as academic achievements, but the underlying processes of these benefits are still much unclear. This workshop aims at a deeper elaboration of these underlying processes; It involves questions about how executive functions benefit development rather than whether. With educational and neurocognitive perspectives, it aims at further insights into how executive functions foster the online processes in learning and behavior, and how these processes can be stimulated through interventions.

For more information about the workshop, speakers, and abstracts: http://www.ru.nl/bsi/news-events/evenementen/workshop-how/

This seminar will elaborate upon ways to enhance executive functions in education. It will include nationally and internationally renowned speakers, who will cover topics such as the refinements of the contributions of executive functions to specific forms of education, as well as how these can be stimulated. Professor Adele Diamond from the University of British Columbia will kick off the day with her talk: Ways to improve cognitive control and self-regulation in children: Insights from neuro- and developmental science.

More information about the seminar, talks, and speakers can be found on: http://www.ru.nl/bsi/news-events/evenementen/seminar-enhancing/.